Tree of Reincarnation
by mikanlove
Summary: The princess of Seika, Misaki Ayuzawa, and the prince of Miyabigaoka, Takumi Usui. The chance of them meeting was only one in a million, but yet it happened. Falling in love wasn't their decision, but yet that also happened. The saddest and cruelest lesson the two had learned in the end was that history repeats itself, no matter how hard you try and make things different.
1. Chapter 1

" _Misaki, it's time for bed honey," the gentle voice of a raven haired queen said. Her daughter looked up at her, wide-eyed._

" _Mommy, you promised you'd read me a bedtime story!" she pouted, as she grabbed a book that lay beside her and raised it into the air. Her mother smiled._

" _Of course. How could I have forgotten?" she laughed to herself, taking the book out of the six-year-old's hands. The book she had chosen was far too difficult for the small girl to understand- though it was the only one she had since it was a gift from her father. The only gift she had to remember him by._

 _The raven haired woman opened the book to the first page and began making up her own story._

" _Once upon a time, there lived a young princess at the age of 17. She lived in the kingdom of Seika, while Seika was at war with the kingdom of Miyabigaoka. Her name was Mina. One day, she met a boy of her age named Saku, only it turns out he was on the opposing side." Minako started._

" _So did Mina and Saku hate each other?" Misaki inquired innocently. Her mother shook her head slowly._

" _No. They fell in love." she replied. The young girl stared curiously at her mother and waited for the story to continue. "But...that was the biggest mistake they could've made." she whispered._

" _Huh? What happened?" she wondered. Minako forced a smile onto her face as she glanced at her daughter._

" _Then the kingdoms called off the war and everyone lives happily ever after. The end." she said quickly, leaning over and planting a kiss on the young girl's forehead. "Goodnight."_

»»-¤-««

 _Knock knock!_

"Hmm…?" the raven haired princess groaned.

 _Knock knock!_

"Your highness, it's time for you to get up now," a familiar maid called from outside the door. Misaki's eyes flew open at her voice.

"Ah, Satsuki! Come in," she called. Satsuki obeyed and opened her bedroom door. "What brings you here so early in the morning?" she inquired with a smile. Satsuki's expression, however, wasn't so happy.

"Your highness-"

"Misaki."

" _Princess_ Misaki," Satsuki said. Misaki sighed and decided that would do for now. "Your mother would like to have a word with you." she said. Misaki let out a yawn before nodding.

"Of course. I'll get dressed immediately and see her as soon as possible."

»»-¤-««

 **That's the prologue, I purposely made it really short as to not give the entire story away. This story probably won't exceed ten chapters at the most.**

 **If anyone's wondering, this story is based off the song Mistletoe ~ Tree of Reincarnation by Rin and Len. I was planning on making this a RinXLen fic at first but I decided it would be more fun to do TakuMisa! If you listen to the song that might spoil some of the plot fyi XD**

 **I'm still deciding whether I want to make this a tragedy or not~ maybe I should make two endings? A sad ending then an alternative happy ending? Tell me your opinions please!**


	2. Chapter 2

" _Mommy, why don't I have a daddy like all those other people?" the six-year-old asked, staring out the large window in her room which had a nice view of the town and eyeing other children enviously. Her mother came over and patted her back._

" _You don't need a daddy. You're stronger than all those other children," she said in an attempt to cheer the girl up, making sure the pain wasn't evident in her voice._

" _But what if I'm not as strong as you think?" she asked with a sigh, reaching up and blocking the window with the large red curtains. Minako watched her silently, not sure what to say herself._

" _I…I'm not as strong as you think I am either, Misaki." she said, causing her daughter to stare at her in shock. "But we'll be okay…we'll be okay since we're together, Misaki. We'll get through this together, I promise."_

 _And for the first time since her husband's sudden leave, she cried in front of her daughter._

 _Since then, Misaki decided she would stay strong for her mother's sake._

 _»»-¤-««_

"Mother, you called?"

The raven haired queen nodded, a solemn look on her face. Misaki began to wonder what was going on.

"It's about Miyabigaoka." she said. Misaki's eyes widened. She knew this couldn't be any good.

"What about them? Are they planning another attack? Should we-"

"Nothing like that." she interrupted. "In fact, we're putting this war to an end." she explained. Misaki tilted her head to the side in confusion.

"Well, isn't that a good thing?" she inquired. Minako nodded, though her expression looked a bit unsure.

"It is. I'm just worried about the kingdom of Ishikawa." she sighed. Misaki frowned, knowing well what this was about.

"It's about… _that_ , right?" she asked. Minako's eyes widened, obviously not wanting to talk about it.

"...Indeed. Is it so wrong that I don't want to hand my youngest daughter over to some uncivilized fools?" she asked. Misaki shook her head and offered a small smile.

"Don't worry Mother. I won't let them have Suzuna. That Prince Hinata sure is stubborn…" Misaki assured her. Minako extended her arms outward for a hug. Misaki gladly accepted it, as they both let out a breath they didn't even realize they were holding.

 _»»-¤-««_

" _Sakuya, where are yo-oomph!" called a raven haired princess, only to be cut off as she ran into something- more specifically, someone._

" _Minako," he said happily, turning around and picking her up. As he span her around in the air, she let out a squeal of delight._

" _So, I don't believe you called me out to a field of flowers for nothing," she giggled after he set her back down to stand on her feet. He laughed._

" _Bright as always, princess." he joked, letting go of her waist. "Alright then, close your eyes." he instructed. She did as he said, a wide smile on her face._

" _Really Sakuya, you're so silly sometimes. What's this all about?" she questioned. The only answer she received was a chuckle from the male._

" _Open your eyes," he said. She did so without hesitation, a gasp escaping her lips as she stared wide-eyed at the scene in front of her._

" _Wha- You're joking. Stop playing around Sakuya!" she said in disbelief, cupping her hands together and placing them over her mouth._

" _I wouldn't joke about my love for you." he stated seriously. "Princess Minako Akamine, will you make me the happiest man alive and spend the rest of your life with me? Will you, my love, marry me?"_

" _Oh my god…I-I-"_

" _It's a yes or no question, princess." he interrupted with a knowing smile. She nodded, her hands still covering her mouth in shock._

" _Y-Yes…! Of course!" she exclaimed, not even giving him time to slip the ring on her finger before jumping him and hugging him tightly as if her life depended on it._

" _You better start getting used to your new name, Minako Ayuzawa."_

 _»»-¤-««_

"Geez, how troublesome can one kingdom be…" Misaki murmured, about ready to rip her hair out of her scalp. "Seriously, what's with his hair color?! It's not even brown! Stupid fake ginger boy!" she exclaimed, thrashing about in her bed.

"Princess Misaki, are you alright in there?" she heard Satsuki call from outside the door. _Of course not! It's not like my sister's life is practically at stake here or anythi-_

"Everything's just peachy," she called back. Not exactly what she wanted to say, but she'd have to control her anger around others.

"Okay. If you need to talk, don't hesitate to call for me," she said.

"Of course Satsuki. Thank you," she called back.

"Anytime."

Misaki carefully waited until she heard Satsuki's footsteps get quieter and quieter, and only when she couldn't hear them anymore, she let out a loud sigh of frustration.

"I need some fresh air," she decided, jumping off her bed and throwing open her room door. Ignoring all the stares she received from her not-so-quiet entrance, Misaki immediately made her way downstairs.

"Your highness? Where are you going?" questioned one of her most trusted knights- and childhood friend -Kuuga Sakurai. Misaki rolled her eyes.

"Outside you dimwit. Why?" she questioned. Kuuga laughed as if she had just told a hilarious joke.

"Pfft, you're actually using the door for once?" he asked, obviously amused. Misaki stuck her tongue out at him childishly.

"After last time, I'd be surprised if Mother didn't put weird alarms or sirens that'd go off whenever I open my windows." she replied dryly. "On another note, I'm trying to be a good girl now. Got a problem with that?" she added. Kuuga let a laugh slip from his lips at that.

"A good girl? Now you're just pulling my leg." he scoffed. Misaki simply shrugged.

"Think what you'd like _Kuugie-kun~_ " she hummed, walking away from him, her knee-length dress flying behind her. Kuuga's eye twitched.

"Have fun, _Misa-chan._ " he teased back. Misaki suddenly had the urge to punch him in the face, but decided she earned it for starting the teasing first.

"I will. Tell Mother I left- only if she _asks_ -will ya, Kuuga?"

"Mhmm. Don't get yourself into too much trouble now."


	3. Chapter 3

" _We gather here today for the funeral of our wonderful queen, Mamiko Ai Akamine. A loving mother and wife, and the kind queen of Seika. This life we lost…"_

 _The words that were spoken eventually faded out and couldn't be heard anymore by the princess. Her own mother was dead—it was still hard to believe._

 _Through all the pain she felt, the raven haired female refused to shed a tear. How could it be?_

 _Sakuya had lost his father only a week before her mother died. After his father's death, he broke off all connections with Minako. The war started once more and so Seika and Miyabigaoka became enemies again._

 _This was too much for her to handle in just one week. Heck, this pain would be unbearable to handle even if it happened over the span of a lifetime. She'd never be prepared._

»»-¤-««

" _Do you, Sakuya Ayuzawa, take Akemi Jitsuko to be your lawfully wedded wife?"_

 _Minako watched as he smiled down at the woman- gently and full of kindness, just as he once had to her._

" _I do."_

" _Do you, Akemi Jitsuko, take Sakuya Ayuzawa to be your lawfully wedded husband?"_

 _Akemi turned her head to the left, staring straight into the eyes of Minako. She almost cringed as Akemi gave her the dirtiest glare she'd ever seen._

 _This wasn't considered disrespectful, for Akemi was now a queen as well. Maybe she was an ever higher rank than Minako now with a king to rule beside her._

" _I do." she answered firmly, her gaze finally leaving Minako and averting back to her husband._

" _You two are now husband and wife. You may kiss the bride." the priest announced. Without hesitation, Sakuya leaned down and gave Akemi a chaste kiss on the lips. She returned the favor._

 _Minako stood up and left abruptly, though not causing any commotion since she was sitting in the back of the church. Silently, she slipped away and out of the place in which she just watched the man she loved the most get married off to another woman._

 _A sudden wave of nausea hit her, as she ran over to the side of the road and vomited everything she'd eaten that day onto the ground._

" _Queen Minako!" she heard a few guards call from behind her. They'd only now noticed her absence. "Are you okay? Should we call a doctor?" one asked._

 _Minako shook her head, a horrible thought coming to her head. This feeling was all too familiar. It was exactly the same as when she was carrying her first child…_

" _N-No…C-Can you just p-prepare a carriage back to the castle?" she stammered._

" _Of course, your highness."_

»»-¤-««

"Princess Misaki!" someone called. Misaki turned around to see a little boy running towards her.

"Why, hello," she greeted, bending down to reach his height. By the looks of it, he was around five or six-year-old.

"My mommy thinks you're really pretty," he said. "Oh, and I picked this for you!" he exclaimed, holding up a dandelion that was identical to every other one growing in the grass they were standing on.

"Thank you so much! You're too sweet," she giggled, gingerly taking the small flower from his hands. "Which one's your mommy?" she inquired, glancing over at a group of a few woman.

"She's right there!" he announced, pointing away from where Misaki was looking. She turned around to see his finger pointing directly at a bench with one single woman sitting on it not too far from them.

The woman wore a frown on her face as she sat there alone, staring off into the distance. Her long blonde hair was threaded through her fingers, and the red glasses she wore were lopsided on her face. Misaki figured she must've had a rough day.

"Hmm…" Misaki hummed, letting her hand drop to the grass as she plucked a small dandelion from the grass. She picked off each petal one by one until there were only four left.

It looked a little weird, but Misaki figured it looked enough like a four leafed clover. She decided she'd call it a four petaled dandelion- or just a lucky dandelion.

"Your mommy's really pretty too. Give her this and say 'Princess Misaki wishes you good luck'." she instructed. The small boy nodded eagerly.

"Okay! Thank you Princess Misaki!" he exclaimed happily, waving at her before running off as fast as he could. Misaki waved back with a smile on her face.

»»-¤-««

" _It's morning sickness, isn't it…?" Minako guessed, a solemn look on her face. She sat on her bed, her energy completely drained._

" _...Yes. You're pregnant." the doctor answered. Minako stared blankly at the floor. Sure she was happy about the child, but she didn't want yet another memory with that man…now she'd have two fatherless children._

" _I see. I'll follow all the tips you gave me last time. Thank you."_

»»-¤-««

"Sakura!" Misaki exclaimed upon seeing her friend. The pink haired girl spun around in her tracks and grinned.

"Misaki!" she called back, just as excited as her. The two girls had met about four years ago while Misaki was out in town and got lost—turns out Sakura knew the town like the back of her hand, and was able to help Misaki find her way around. Ever since then, the two girls became friends, and now even best friends. "What are you up to?"

"Not much, I just needed to breathe." she responded, swinging her arms by her side. "What about you?" she inquired. Sakura raised a large bag that she was holding.

"Delivering more materials and items to my father. You know, he's a merchant and all," she replied. Misaki nodded.

"That looks heavy. I can carry it for you," she said. Sakura shook her head in disapproval.

"That's the reason I _shouldn't_ let you hold it. Besides, it's not even that heavy," she laughed. Misaki rolled her eyes.

"Sakura really—"

"Misaki, I'm _fine._ You should really worry about yourself more, silly," she giggled. Misaki tilted her head slightly in confusion.

"Worry about myself? I have nothing to worry about," she said. Sakura clicked her tongue as if Misaki were a little child.

"Oh, yes you do. You said you came out here to breathe, right? That means something must be on your mind that's bothering you," she countered. "Go have some fun Misaki—I'll try to meet up with you if I finish working early," she said. "Bye!"

"But wai—" Misaki tried to call out, but sadly Sakura was quick on her feet and fled before Misaki had a chance to say anything else. A sigh escaped her lips, though a small smile managed to creep up onto her face. _She really is such a good friend._

 _Bump!_

"Ah!" Misaki exclaimed, stumbling to the side and falling to the ground. She gasped in pain as she felt a stinging pain in her knee. _Ugh…that'll definitely be an inconvenience later._

"Oh, I'm sorry," the person who bumped into her apologized. She glanced up at them—more specifically _him_ , to see that they had their hand extended outward for her to take. She reach her hand out to take his, only to catch herself and freeze.

Eyeing his appearance up and down once more, her eyes widened once she realized who he was.

"You're from _Miyabigaoka,_ " she accused, glaring at him. Don't misunderstand, she didn't have anything against their kingdom. Well, actually, she did—just one thing. _He_ was the king of Miyabigaoka. The man who caused her mother so much pain and sadness.

"Yes. And?" he inquired, raising an eyebrow. He has messy, even _spiky_ , if you will, blonde hair. His eyes were an enthralling emerald green color that she couldn't tear her attention away from.

"You're the king's _assistant._ His right-hand man." she said, completely ignoring his previous statement. He dropped his hand back to his side at her words.

"That's right. Why?" he asked, now slightly skeptical. Misaki felt tears stinging at her eyes. She really wanted to hit this blonde guy, she really did. But she knew he did nothing wrong. It's not like _he_ knew about all the horrible things her sad excuse of a father did.

"N-No reason. I'm going home now," she avoided his question, attempting to get off the ground only to feel her right leg give in underneath her. _Damn, must've been a bad fall. Lucky me._

"Are you okay?" he asked, bending over. She glared at him as if he were taunting her.

"I'm _perfectly fine._ Can you leave now?" she scoffed. He smirked.

"Wow, never knew the princess of Seika was this rude," he joked. Misaki, of course, took offense towards this. Who was he to call her rude? He was working under the most evil king in all of Asia and _he_ had the nerve to call _her_ rude?!

"Please leave," she murmured, her head now towards the ground. He completely ignored her and continued to make aggravating remarks.

"Oh? Looks like the princess is a masochist as well. Are you really that stubborn? Let me just help you—"

"I SAID LEAVE ME ALONE!" she yelled, lifting her hand to slap him. "YOU DON'T KNOW ANYTHING ABOUT ME, SO STOP IT!" she exclaimed, bringing her hand back down to her side. If she hit him, she wouldn't be any better than her father. She refused to sink that low. A warm, familiar liquid ran down her cheeks, as she made no attempt to wipe them away.

He stared at her, wide-eyed and unsure of what to do. He hadn't meant for his teasing to go that far—he was only trying to make her give in and let him help her back to her castle.

"Misaki? Misaki?!" A panicky voice came. Misaki immediately recognized the voice and turned her head to the side.

"S-Satsuki!" she cried, reaching her arms out towards her. The purple haired maid came running and enveloped the crying girl in a hug.

"Princess, what's wrong?! Did someone hurt you?" she inquired. Misaki shook her head and continued sobbing. The blonde guy awkwardly cleared his throat, causing Satsuki to glance at him.

With just one look, Satsuki already knew what was wrong.

Satsuki's expression darkened considerably as she glared at him. She knew Miyabigaoka meant trouble. Her mind suddenly flashed back to when Minako was seventeen, and she was her best friend and personal maid. _I can't let the same thing happen to her daughter._

"Come on Misaki, lets go home." Satsuki coaxed, helping the emotionally unstable girl up to her feet. Noticing how she struggled, she clicked her tongue. "Did you hurt your leg? Oh my, we better clean your wound before it gets infected," she said, obviously worried.

Before they walked off, Satsuki threw a warning look towards the blonde boy. He looked thoroughly confused, which Satsuki felt bad for, but her concern was Misaki's well-being.


	4. Chapter 4

**Connected by,**

 **our destiny,**

 **two hearts together as one**

 **Faded wounds**

 **start to open wide**

 **as the two of us**

 **stand here side by side**

 **And the hand we held tightly now come undone**

 **But even if,**

 **our fate insists,**

 **continuing to tear us apart**

 **I believe,**

 **yes with all of my heart,**

 **in the day,**

 **you and I**

 **will take to the sky**

 _-Mistletoe ~ Tree of Reincarnation (English dub by SirHamnet)_

 **»»-¤-««**

" _MAISIE!" the raven haired princess called, only to receive no response or reaction. "STOP, STOP!" she exclaimed, desperately yanking on the reins to stop the horse from moving._

 _Suddenly, the horse jumped over a log, causing the girl to lose her grip and tip over to the left on the saddle. Unfortunately, the weight imbalance was too great, resulting in the princess falling off her horse and crashing onto the ground._

" _Ouch!" she hissed, the impact of the fall sending pain shooting through the entire left side of her body. "M-Maisie!" she cried, watching as her only ride home ran off deeper into the forest. Great. Now not only would she be berated for getting home late, but_ also _for losing one of her family's favorite horses. Just magnificent._

" _Who goes there?" a deep voice called out. Minako froze upon hearing an unfamiliar voice. She was only hoping it wasn't some crazy man with weapons or something. She really didn't feel like being murdered today._

" _Well, how about I get your identity first?" she demanded, suddenly deciding to be bold. Hmm, maybe she did have some sort of unknown death wish._

 _A chuckle reach her ears as she noticed some sort of dark figure emerge from the trees. "Alright, sounds like a deal to me. My name is Sakuya—Sakuya Ayuzawa," he responded. "Your turn."_

 _Her jaw dropped at how easily he revealed his name to a complete stranger, although she quickly hid her shock. "Minako Akamine," she responded. The figure came closer to her._

" _Ah, princess of Seika?" he asked knowingly._

" _That's me," she replied proudly. "Somehow, your name sounds really familiar as well," she hummed thoughtfully. He smirked._

" _You probably know me," he said. Minako raised an eyebrow. She knew him? From where?_

" _Have I met you before?" she inquired._

" _Nope, but you know me," he replied. Minako forced herself to think harder. Sakuya Ayuzawa, Sakuya Ayuzawa, Sakuya Ayuzawa…_

" _OH!" she exclaimed in realization, sitting up abruptly. Wrong move. Her bruised side caused immense pain towards her as she let out a small yelp, before collapsing back onto the ground. Sitting felt like too much work at the moment._

" _Akamine?" he called, rushing to her side immediately. She found it somewhat sweet how his voice had a hint of concern in it. "Are you okay?" Sakuya inquired._

" _I-I fell off my horse earlier," she explained. "But that doesn't matter," she quickly said. "Y-You're the king of Miyabigaoka's personal butler…" Minako murmured. He gave her a look of confusion._

" _Yes, you're very well educated aren't you," he complimented quickly. "Princess, I need to check for injuries," he said, gesturing for her to lift her dress up. Minako's face turned red._

" _B-But that's so embarrassing!" she exclaimed, covering her face with her hands. "Can't you at least go behind that tree while I check?" she requested. The man promptly stood and wandered to the nearest tree before hiding himself from her view and covering his eyes with his hand to even prevent himself from peeking._

 _He heard the rustling of fabric, and soon after her voice._

" _You know, you just might not be bad as those other Miyabigaoka men…" she smiled, mainly referring to her father._

»»-¤-««

" _Oh my gosh, is that the princess?"_

" _I think it is. Why is she walking like that?"_

" _Beats me. The real question is why she's staring at the ground."_

Misaki heard whispers and rumors all around her, but chose to ignore them. She didn't even care at the moment. _Why did I get so emotional when I saw someone from Miyabigaoka? It's not like I've never encountered one of them before…_ she thought, when suddenly she remembered why. _Ah, yes. The king's assistant. That's who he was._

"Misaki, are you okay?" Satsuki asked gently. She knew that Misaki hated to be addressed as "your majesty" or "princess", so just for now she decided to call her by her name.

Misaki shrugged her shoulders. She didn't even know what was wrong with her herself.

"Satsuki…?" Misaki asked.

"Yes?" she inquired. Misaki stared at the ground.

"Can I stay out here for a little longer?" she requested. "Alone." she added upon seeing Satsuki's expression. The purple haired maid gave her a worried look.

"Honey—"

"Please Satsuki?" she begged. Satsuki glanced at her leg and Misaki immediately knew what her concern was. "I promise I'll get it treated before I get home, but I just really need some time alone…" she said. Satsuki pressed her lips together tightly.

"Fine," she sighed. "Just don't get yourself into trouble or the queen will have our heads," she said. Misaki nodded eagerly.

"Of course, Satsuki. Thank you so much." she thanked, before limping back to where they came from.

»»-¤-««

"Hey, you!" Misaki exclaimed, pointing at the familiar blonde haired man she previously yelled at. He jerked his head up at her voice and stared at her in confusion.

"Can I help you?" he asked, noting the fact that people were starting to stare. I mean, it's not everyday you see the princess walking—more like hobbling—down the street and yelling.

"Um, well yes—no, err—maybe?" she replied awkwardly, stopping in front of him when they were only inches away. He raised an eyebrow at this. "Look, I just wanted to say…sorry about earlier." she apologized. His eyes widened in confusion and surprise.

"You have nothing to apologize about. I shouldn't have said those things earlier about you," he argued. She shook her head.

"No _I'm_ sorry for judging you just because you're from Miyabigaoka," she countered. He tilted his head to the side.

"Now that you mention it, didn't we call off the war? What do you have against Miyabigaoka, if you don't mind me asking?" he inquired, instantly regretting it as he watched her tense up visibly.

"I…I don't want to answer that question." she stated. What use would it be? It's not like telling anyone would bring him back to her mother. Even then, she wouldn't want him back. She couldn't and wouldn't forgive him that easily.

The blonde gave her an apologetic look.

"Sorry," he said, and she could hear the genuineness in his voice. She almost felt guilty for not answering him—almost.

"It's fine." she answered, and though her voice was barely above a whisper, he still heard her.

For a few moments, they just stood there in silence.

"Um…let's get your leg treated, shall we?" the blonde suggested, offering his hand for her to take. Glancing upwards, Misaki accidentally made eye contact with him. Unwillingly, she tore her amber eyes away from his emerald ones, for if she continued to stare she was afraid she would never be able to turn away.

"Y-Yeah, that sounds like a good idea," she agreed, pretending not to notice his awaiting hand.

»»-¤-««

"Sit down," he instructed. She gingerly sat on the rocky surface that outlined the fountain. Misaki watched as he took out a roll of bandages he'd previously bought, along with some plant. "This might sting a bit," he warned, before taking the plant in his right-hand and gently rubbing it along her wound.

"Ah," Misaki gasped quietly in pain. He glanced up at her expression for a moment before giving her an apologetic look.

"Does it hurt?" he asked—a stupid question, yes, though he was trying to take her mind off it. Misaki held up her index finger and thumb, leaving a small gap between the two.

"Just a little bit," she answered. "Not much at all, though," she quickly added upon seeing his worried expression. The blonde let out a sigh of relief.

"Sorry. Try to bear through it—this will help it heal faster," he explained, rubbing the plant across her leg once more. She felt a liquidy and maybe even slightly sticky substance ooze from the plant and onto her wound. It stung ever so slightly, though the coolness of the plant against her wound eased the pain immensely.

After a few more seconds, he dropped the plant onto the ground, and unwrapped some bandages. The blonde carefully wrapped a good amount around her wounded leg, before ripping it off the roll and leaving a little extra to tie together on the ends.

"All done," he said, a triumphant look on his face. Misaki laughed at his expression.

"Thank you so much," she said gratefully, lifting her leg up slightly to observe it. She did have to say he did a pretty good job on it.

"Anytime princess," he joked, causing her to stick her tongue out at him. She was just about to make a witty comeback, until a sudden realization came to her mind.

"Err—I have a question," Misaki said. He gave her a questioning look, before beckoning for her to continue.

"Ask away," he replied smoothly.

"Um, don't take this in a weird way or anything because I most definitely couldn't care less," she spluttered, "but what's your name?" Misaki inquired. He gave her an amused look.

"Takumi Usui," he replied promptly. "What else would you like to know about me?" he asked, a teasing tone lingering in his silky voice. Misaki's face turned red.

"N-Nothing else! I just wanted to know your name," she huffed, turning her head and staring at a tree. He chuckled at her behavior.

"You really are interesting, Princess Misaki," he commented. She glared at him.

"What do you mean by interesting? You make it sound like I'm an object or something," she scoffed. Takumi tilted his head to the side innocently.

"Is this how you treat your savior?" he pouted. She raised an eyebrow.

"Savior? I would've been perfectly fine without your help," Misaki replied, an edge of defiance to her tone. Takumi shrugged.

"I don't know about that," he whistled. Misaki glared at him.

"Why? Does this have something to do with me being a girl?" she accused. His eyebrows shot up in pure amusement.

"Now now princess, don't play the gender card on me," he said as if scolding a young child. Her eyes narrowed.

"You're not denying it," she continued. He stared her in the eye.

"Okay then, yes. As a man, is it wrong for me to care for a young lady as cute as you?"

"Of course it is—WAIT, DID YOU JUST CALL ME CUTE?!" she shrieked. He smirked at her predictable reaction.

"Why yes, did I say something wrong?" he inquired innocently. She gave him a wide-eyed look.

"You did!" she replied almost instantly. "Why would you call someone you barely know cute?!"

"Because you are."

Misaki's face turned a dark red color as she spluttered out some more excuses and nonsense.

"B-But I don't even know how old you are! You could be freaking fifty years old for all I know!" she accused. He licked his lips seductively which sent shivers down her spine.

"Are you trying to ask for my age? How sneaky," he teased. Misaki glared at him.

"NO! I JUST DON'T WANT A CREEPY OLD MAN STALKER—"

"—So it's okay if I'm a creepy _young_ man stalker?" he clarified, knowing fully well that wasn't what she meant.

"NO! NO CREEPY STALKERS—ACTUALLY, NO STALKERS AT ALL!" she screamed. Misaki's face turned a red color as she realized all the attention the two of them have attracted.

"U-Um princess, are you okay?" one girl around the age of twelve or so asked. Misaki blinked a few times as if not able to comprehend the question.

"Huh? Oh, yeah! I'm a-okay!" she responded, still embarrassed over the fact that so many people had just witnessed that.

"If you say so," the little girl replied, offering Misaki a smile before skipping off with her mother. The small crowd of people that surrounded them seemed to disband as they all left and went their separate ways.

A frustrated sigh escaped Misaki's lips. "Listen, I think I'd better head home now. Thanks for treating my leg," she said, spinning on her heel and making a motion to walk off.

" _Err,_ " they both said simultaneously. Misaki turned her head and gave him a quizzical look at this.

"You go first," Misaki said.

"No, ladies first," he insisted. Misaki glared at him and fully spun around back towards him.

"As a princess, I order you to spit it out right now," she commanded. There she stood, hands on hips, while he stayed completely silent.

For a few seconds, all they did was stare each other in the eye in complete silence. It wasn't the awkward kind of silence—no, more like the nice kind. The peaceful kind. Still, silence was silence, and Misaki was pretty sure she wasn't going to get an answer out of him anytime soon.

" _Meet me here tomorrow at the fountain at the same time,_ " she said—or no, wait? That wasn't _her_ voice was it? But she could've sworn that _she_ was the one who said it.

"Oh, great minds think alike," the blonde—Takumi Usui—remarked. _Ah, that explains my double voice._

"You probably read my mind," Misaki accused. "Alien." she added. He chuckled at this.

"What happened to me being your stalker?" he inquired. She couldn't help but laugh at his strange question.

"Alien suits you better," she said. "Anyway, I'd better get going now. Satsuki will start to worry."

"Alright. See you tomorrow then, princess," he smirked. She shook her head upon the sight of his arrogant smirk, but still she couldn't wipe away the smile that remained plastered on her face.

Taking a cautious step, Misaki flinched, expecting pain. To her surprise, her leg didn't hurt at all. _Damn him and his weird super-powers._

Staring up at the sky, Misaki allowed the gentle breeze to play with her raven locks as she began to relax. She wasn't even surprised at the fact that Takumi had disappeared in the blink of an eye—she really wasn't sure exactly _what_ to expect from him, but maybe that's what made him so interesting and dare she say even attractive.

 _But you know, at the end of the day, maybe he is different than my father…maybe, just maybe, I could learn to get used to him._


End file.
